By Princess Atevure,
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) senatorial aspirant for Delta Central, Prof. Alexander Akpodiete, has rejected the outcome of the party's primary held on Friday, following allegations of electoral irregularities, manipulation, and the exclusion of delegates that marred the exercise, and has called for a fresh election.
Akpodiete, one of the leading contenders in the race, accused party officials of compromising the Option A-4 voting process to favour another aspirant, insisting that scores of his supporters who openly queued behind him were deliberately ignored during the counting.
The disputed primary, held in Ughelli North and other Local Government Areas, was marked by tension as party members and supporters questioned the credibility of the exercise, with some alleging that the declared figures did not reflect the actual voting pattern at the venue.
Addressing journalists shortly after the exercise, the visibly aggrieved professor said the process lacked transparency from the outset.
According to him, he and his supporters arrived at the venue by 8:30 a.m. but were left waiting for several hours on the grounds that electoral materials had not arrived.
He alleged that the exercise only commenced around 2:15 p.m. after the arrival of another aspirant, following which party officials proceeded with a counting process he described as fundamentally flawed.
“We have been here since 8:30 this morning. They told us they were waiting for electoral materials. Suddenly, when the other aspirant arrived around 2:15 p.m., they decided to start the exercise, and my supporters who openly queued behind me were not counted despite my protest,” Akpodiete said.
The aspirant further accused some party officials of importing the culture of electoral manipulation into the NDC, warning that the conduct of the primary could damage the party's credibility ahead of future elections.
“They brought APC and PDP-style of rigging and corruption into the NDC, and it is very disappointing. We are going to challenge this because we are completely dissatisfied with what happened here today,” he stated.
Describing the development as a betrayal of the party's founding ideals, Akpodiete said many loyal members now viewed the NDC as no different from the major political parties it had often criticised.
“This is a sad day for Nigerians, a sad day for Delta Central and a sad day for the Urhobo nation. A lot of people here may no longer support the NDC in future elections because of what happened today.
“We have now become a party that is no different from the PDP or APC. We are deeply disappointed,” he added.
Demanding immediate intervention from the party leadership, Akpodiete called for the cancellation of the exercise and the conduct of a fresh, transparent and credible primary that would be acceptable to all stakeholders.
He also objected to the participation of recent defectors in the process, arguing that only individuals who were registered members of the party before May 6 should have been eligible to participate in the primary.
“The party must correct this injustice. There should be another primary, and people who only recently joined the party should not be allowed to determine its future. If you were not a member before May 6, you should not be part of this process,” he said.
Supporters of the aspirant echoed similar concerns, insisting that the announced results did not correspond with the number of delegates and party members who visibly lined up behind Akpodiete during the Option A-4 voting process.
As of press time, party officials had yet to respond to the allegations, while pressure continued to mount on the NDC leadership to address the growing dispute threatening to deepen divisions within the party's Delta Central chapter.
